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  Transmitted information verification device and transmitted information verification methodUSPTO Application #: 20070081666Title: Transmitted information verification device and transmitted information verification method Abstract: A transmitted information verification device of the invention includes: a transmitted information capture module that captures encrypted transmission object information transferred on a network, as encrypted transmitted information; a comparative information generation module that encrypts transmission object information, which is included in an encryption record created by a managed device, with a cipher key used for encryption of the transmission object information in the managed device to generate comparative information; and a transmitted information verification module that compares the encrypted transmitted information with the generated comparative information for verification. This arrangement effectively verifies the absence of any piece of information that is not to be transmitted but is to be strictly kept in the user, for example, the user's any private or confidential piece of information, in the transmitted information that is transferred on the network from the managed device to a management server. (end of abstract) Agent: Sughrue Mion, PLLC - Washington, DC, US Inventor: Toshihiro Shima USPTO Applicaton #: 20070081666 - Class: 380030000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Cryptography, Particular Algorithmic Function Encoding, Public Key The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070081666. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a verification technique adopted in a management system where a management server manages a managed device, such as a printer, connecting therewith. The verification technique verifies the content of encrypted information transmitted from the managed device to the management server. [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] With recent advancement of the network-related technology using the Internet and local area networks, a device management system has been proposed where a management server connecting with a managed device via a global network, such as the Internet, manages the managed device connected to a local area network (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Gazette No. 2004-185351). In this proposed device management system, the managed device collects specific pieces of monitor information including its working conditions and sends the collected monitor information to the management server. The management server analyzes the received monitor information to obtain required pieces of information including the working conditions of the managed device. [0005] The information sent from the managed device to the management server may include the user's private or confidential pieces of information or the system administrator's essential pieces of information that prohibit any falsification or alteration. The information sent from the managed device to the management server is thus generally encrypted in a specific manner that allows decryption only by the management server having a decoding key. Namely the user of the managed device is not allowed to decode the encrypted information sent from the managed device to the management server via the Internet. The user may thus naturally be anxious about the intentional or unintentional inclusion of specific pieces of information that are not to be transmitted but are to be strictly kept in the user, for example, business-related confidential or classified information or the user's personal data, in the externally transmitted information. [0006] For example, the managed device is a printer connected to an intra-company local area network. The printer receives confidential or classified document information from a personal computer connecting with the network to print confidential or classified documents. In this case, it is technically possible that the managed device sends the confidential or classified document information to the management server. [0007] The user accordingly desires to objectively verify the absence of any piece of information that is not to be transmitted but is to be strictly kept in the user, for example, the user's any confidential or private piece of information, in the information sent from the managed device to the management server. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0008] The object of the invention is thus to eliminate the drawbacks of the prior art technique and to provide a technique of verifying that transmitted information from a managed device to a management server connecting with the managed device via a network does not include any piece of information that is not to be transmitted but is to be strictly kept in the user, for example, the user's any private or confidential piece of information. [0009] In order to attain at least part of the above and the other related objects, the present invention is directed to a transmitted information verification device that verifies content of encrypted transmission object information sent from a managed device to a management server, where the managed device connecting with the management server via a network encrypts transmission object information, which is to be sent to the management server, to generate the encrypted transmission object information. [0010] The transmitted information verification device includes: a transmitted information capture module that captures the encrypted transmission object information transferred on the network, as encrypted transmitted information; a comparative information generation module that encrypts transmission object information, which is included in an encryption record created by the managed device, with a cipher key used for encryption of the transmission object information in the managed device to generate comparative information; and a transmitted information verification module that compares the encrypted transmitted information with the generated comparative information for verification. [0011] The transmitted information verification device of the invention verifies that the encrypted information transmitted from the managed device to the management server does not include any other piece of information than the transmission object information in the encryption record created by the managed device. The transmitted information verification device analyzes the transmission object information included in the encryption record and proves that the analyzed transmission object information does not include any piece of information that is not to be transmitted but is to be strictly kept in the user, for example, the user's any private or confidential piece of information. This verifies no transmission of any such private or confidential piece of information to the management server. [0012] In one preferable embodiment of the transmitted information verification device of the invention, the cipher key used in the managed device is stored as part of the encryption record in correlation to the transmission object information encrypted with the cipher key. The comparative information generation module encrypts the transmission object information included in the encryption record with the cipher key correlated to the transmission object information to generate the comparative information. [0013] This arrangement enables the comparative information to be generated from the encryption record. When the cipher key is not fixed but is changed, this arrangement allows easy identification of the cipher key used for encryption of the transmission object information. [0014] The present invention is also directed to a managed device that encrypts transmission object information and transmits the encrypted transmission object information to a management server connecting with the managed device via a network. [0015] The managed device stores the encrypted transmission object information in correlation to a cipher key used for encryption of the transmission object information, as an encryption record. [0016] The managed device of the invention stores the encrypted transmission object information in correlation to the cipher key used for encryption of the transmission object information, as the encryption record obtained by encrypting the transmission object information. The encryption record is effectively verifiable by the transmitted information verification device of the invention. It can be verified that the encrypted information transmitted from the managed device to the management server does not include any other piece of information than the transmission object information in the encryption record. The transmitted information verification device analyzes the transmission object information included in the encryption record and proves that the analyzed transmission object information does not include any piece of information that is not to be transmitted but is to be strictly kept in the user, for example, the user's any private or confidential piece of information. This verifies no transmission of any such private or confidential piece of information to the management server. [0017] The transmitted information verification device or the managed device of the invention is not restricted to have all the characteristics described above but may be constructed with omission of some of the characteristics or with various combinations of the characteristics. The invention is not restricted to the transmitted information verification device or the managed device but is also actualized by a device management system including a transmitted information verification device, a managed device, and a management server. The technique of the invention may be actualized by diversity of other applications including a transmitted information verification method, a transmitted information monitoring method, computer programs that attain the transmitted information verification device, the managed device, the transmitted information verification method, and the transmitted information monitoring method, recording media in which such computer programs are recorded, and data signals that include such computer programs and are embodied in carrier waves. Any of the additional characteristics described above may be adopted in any of these other applications. [0018] In the applications of the invention as the computer programs and the recording media in which the computer programs are recorded, the invention may be given as a whole program to control the operations of the transmitted information verification device or the managed device or as a partial program to exert only the characteristic functions of the invention. Available examples of the recording media include flexible disks, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, magneto-optical disks, IC cards, ROM cartridges, punched cards, prints with barcodes or other codes printed thereon, internal storage devices (memories like RAMs and ROMs) and external storage devices of the computer, and diversity of other computer readable media. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0019] FIG. 1 shows the general configuration of a device management system that includes a transmitted information verification device ICS as one embodiment of the invention and monitors information transmitted from managed devices to a management server SV; [0020] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates the structure of a printer PRT1 as one managed device; [0021] FIG. 3 shows encryption of transmission object information executed by a server access control module included in the printer PRT1; Continue reading... Full patent description for Transmitted information verification device and transmitted information verification method Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Transmitted information verification device and transmitted information verification method patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. 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